Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Moral Ambiguity For The Win!
By Cindy McLennan | Season 2 | Episode 2 | Aired on 09.16.2010
Lockwood Estate: Damon is meeting with the widow Carol "Mama Mulva" Lockwood. He tells her he's taking point for Sheriff Forbes on the investigation into the vampire that attacked John Gilbert. Carol wants him to spearhead the Council for her, since she'll be serving out the rest of the late Richard's term as Mayor. With a straight face, Damon agrees, commenting on how close the cause is to him. Heh. Just then, Tyler and his young, yummy uncle, Mason "Brick House" Lockwood, come back from something that has left them sweaty and Tyler shirtless, bless. Although Carol shuts the study door, Damon tunes into the boys' conversation with his vamponic hearing. Brick House is feeling Ty out about his aggression problems. Does exercise help? No. Do he lose himself in a sort of rage blackout? Yes. Mason then gets oddly specific. "Is there a pattern? Like once a month? Only at night?" Next he's gonna ask him if he ever gets that not-so-fresh feeling.
Hospital: Caroline sticks her hand in a ray of sunlight streaming through her window and feels the burn. When Matt returns with her food, she doesn't want it. He leans in for a kiss and feels rejected because she pulls back, but she's only pulling back from the sunshine between you, Pudding Pop. It's like an omen for your love, but burnier. Although she's due to be discharged the next morning, Caroline wants to leave tonight. Matt assumes that's because she's a control freak who can't stand to think of other students in charge of her carnival, and she insists it's just that the hospital is depressing, but we know what the real issue is. In case we don't, when Matt opens the curtain to chase away the gloom, Caroline flees to the shadows and orders him to shut them. Put off by her mood, Matt soon takes his leave.
Mossy Manse: When Stefan arrives home, Damon is pouring himself a glass of donor blood and smirks as he offers some to his brother. When Stefan begs off, saying he just ate, Damon cracks: "Aren't you worried that one day all the forest animals are going to band together and fight back? I mean surely they talk." Now that's a Disney movie I want to see. It's also a pretty neat metaphor for the town's secret Council. Stefan ignores his taunts and commends Damon on drinking blood from a bag rather than from a sorority girl. Damon takes that as evidence that Stefan is worried about Damon going off the deep end and asks if Elena's worried he'll explode, too. Stefan changes the subject to Katherine, so Damon changes it to the Lockwood boys and their compelling pecs rage mystery. It's all bicker-banter and both boys are in great form.